Herbs, spices and seasonings have a long history going back five thousand years. It's no mystery why  they add flavor without fat or calories. Our guide, from FoodFit founder and CEO Ellen Haas' book,
Great Adventures in Food tells you what to
look for and helps you decide which flavors best enhance your family favorites.

Best Uses:
Adds distinct flavor to cakes, cookies, and breads. Good in beef stews, tomato-based sauces, and vegetable dishes. It's better to grind the seeds as needed rather than buy ground anise. Use a mortar and pestle.

Description:An herb with a generally sweet flavor and smell. There are many varieties which all taste different including purple (opal) basil, curly leaf basil and lemon basil. Dried basil does not have the same flavor as fresh, a mint taste predominates.

Look For:Fresh leaves, dried or crushed.

Best Uses:Marvelous in Mediterranean-style dishes such as tomato and pesto sauces, soups and salads, or with chicken or fish.

Best Uses:
Sprinkle in green salads or vegetable dishes, or use with fish, and chicken. Chervil makes a great garnish. It is used much like parsley, however it's very delicate so avoid long cooking or high temperatures.

Description:A green herb that resembles grass and has a mild onion flavor.

Look For:Fresh shoots, dried or frozen.

Best Uses:
Delightful in soups and sauces, fish and egg dishes and on baked potatoes. Long cooking diminishes their flavor, so it's best to add chives to a dish at the last minute. Fresh chives are often used as a garnish.

Best Uses:Dill flatters green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, and fish. It's best to add fresh leaves just before serving, cooking diminishes the flavor. Dill seeds are good in bread, braised cabbage, meat stews and for pickling.

Best Uses:
An important herb in Thai and Indonesian cooking. Lovely with seafood or in soups and vinaigrettes. Use fresh stalks whole or chopped. Bruise the stem to release flavor and make sure to discard the upper fibrous part. Soak dried stalks in hot water before use.

Description:An herb with spicy-sweet leaves. There are 30 different kinds, peppermint and spearmint are the most popular.

Look For:Fresh leaves and crumbled dried leaves.

Best Uses:A delicious addition to desserts, fruit salads, lamb and vegetable dishes. Great in iced tea and jellies. Dried mint is often used in Middle Eastern dishes, especially for cheese pastry fillings, yogurt dressings and for stuffing tomatoes and bell peppers.

Description:A wild variety of the herb marjoram that has a stronger, more pungent taste.

Look For:Fresh leaves and crumbled dried leaves.

Best Uses:A basic herb in Italian, Greek, and Mexican cooking. Marvelous in tomato sauces and meat, poultry, and seafood dishes as well as eggplant and bean dishes. Oregano is also good in oil and vinegar salad dressings.

Description:An herb with a fresh, slightly peppery flavor. Two common varieties are Italian flat leaf and curly leaf.

Look For:Fresh leaves and dried leaves.

Best Uses:It's good in salads, dressings, soups, and goes well with poultry, meats, fish, and seafood. Flat leaf parsley is best for cooking, because it is more flavorful and stands up better to heat. Curly leaf parsley is less flavorful but makes an ideal garnish.

Best Uses:
It's delicious with lamb, pork, veal, and beef and roasted potatoes and mushrooms. To release the flavor of dried leaves, crush them just before using. Use whole sprigs to infuse long-cooking dishes with flavor; remove before serving.

Description:An herb with a licorice-like flavor and long, thin leaves.

Look For:Fresh whole leaves and dried whole and crumbled leaves.

Best Uses:
A perky addition to salads, vinaigrettes, chicken, fish, shellfish, veal, and egg dishes. Gives energy to vegetables. Tarragon's flavor, although subtle, diffuses quickly through dishes and should be used sparingly.

Best Uses:
It's wonderful in poultry, fish, and vegetable dishes and in slow cooked stews and soups. Its flavor blends well with many other herbs. Chopped fresh leaves are much more pungent than dried.